Fiat justitia, ruat coelum.

Opinion: The Cowboys should start Dak Prescott over Tony Romo

By: Luke Feliciano ~Staff Writer~

Photo courtesy of pickandpop.net | Dak Prescott is putting together a record-breaking season thus far, which could be spoiled by the return of veteran Tony Romo.

Dak Prescott’s performances this season thus far have been a surprise to many, and, with the looming return of injured longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, Prescott’s command of the offense might come to an abrupt end. But should it?

Prescott has absolutely shocked the National Football League (NFL). In Week 3 of the preseason when Tony Romo went down with a non-surgery required back injury, Prescott had to quickly assume a role which he was not supposed to take for another two to three years or so. Since then, Prescott has not only weathered the storm in Dallas, but has also led the Cowboys to high sail. All things considered, no one would have expected such a strong performance from the rookie Prescott, who was the Cowboys’ fourth round draft pick this offseason.

The Cowboys currently sit at 5-1 atop the NFC East, largely due to the impeccable play by Prescott. He is equipped with all of the tools to evolve into a top 10 quarterback in the league someday. He has shown leadership, poise, a stellar command of the offense and most importantly sound decision-making on his throws. Prescott has been so accurate that he broke a record for the most passing attempts (163) without throwing an interception to start a career.

If he is doing this well as a rookie, imagine the heights he can reach as he enters his football prime.

Using a classic adage, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” there is no question that Prescott should remain the Cowboys’ starting quarterback even though Romo is slated to return on Oct. 30. Granted, it seems probable that Romo will step into the starting role. Prescott himself even said that “this is Tony’s team” and that he will leave the decision up to coaching staff. Romo currently stands as the Cowboys’ all-time leading passer, and owner Jerry Jones has stood by Romo since day one.

In retrospect, it is really questionable as to why Jones has pledged such allegiance to Romo. For one, the Cowboys have only managed to make the postseason once in the last five seasons, not to mention that they have failed to reach a Super Bowl game in more than 20 years. Romo has also been hit with the injury bug over the course of his career. Over the last six seasons, he has suffered six injuries that kept him out of play for some time, including last year in which he broke his clavicle and then reinjured the same clavicle upon his return.

The aging Romo, now 36, is breaking down. If anything, he should realize that the Cowboys are playing better than ever of late and he should not be selfish is disrupting this hot streak.

Sticking with the quarterback who is leading his team to victory after victory is not all that uncommon in the NFL. The most famous example is when sixth round draft pick Tom Brady took control of the Patriots after an injury to veteran Drew Bledsoe, who was fuming and irate after hearing the news. Most recently, Colin Kaepernick took over a 49ers squad when he was playing well after the injury to Alex Smith back in 2012, leading the team to a Super Bowl.

The prospect of Prescott taking the reigns as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback has some people foaming at the mouth. Prescott, rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and a healthy Dez Bryant could easily become the new Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, which represents the greatest trio in team history as well as the core of the Cowboys’ greatness decades ago. But, this would only be a possibility if the Cowboys stick with Prescott as their signal caller. Needless to say, if the Cowboys choose to keep Prescott at quarterback, they have themselves a really good shot at returning back to prominence and bringing championships back home to Dallas.